Archiv

Starting Signal for a tough Week

18.10.2013, 10:53 Uhr von: Redaktion

On Saturday afternoon Borussia Dortmund is going to welcome Hannover 96 in Westfalenstadion. The starting signal for a tough week with matches against Arsenal FC and Scha*ke 03+1. Beforehand I will deliver some good news from the sick bay: The injury misery slowly goes to pieces! On yesterday's media conference, coach Jürgen Klopp took a stand on the current squad situation. "Yesterday [editor's note: Wednesday] Nuri Sahin, Marco Reus as well as Jonas Hofmann attended squad training for the first time this week. Today [editor's note: Thursday] Sven Bender and Marcel Schmelzer will warm-up together with the team and then exercise personalized." If both will be able to play on Saturday has to be decided last-minute.

Furthermore long-term casualties Lukasz Piszczek and Ilkay Gündogan are both heading in the right direction. As a matter of course they are still not availabe, but made "a huge step forward" according to Klopp. Skipper Sebastian Kehl should be able to join team training next week and Mats Hummels is suspended for one match. It is a fortune that every player returned in a good shape from their national sides. "We will be able to start with eleven players, it could have been worse," Klopp said.

In addition he denied speculations, the injury misery would be a sign for overload, being a result of the strength-sapping style of play. "This situation is exceptional and without equal. Three defensive midfielders are not available. Usually our squad offers enough solutions but when three players of the same position are injured, it's getting tough. That's the case," the coach stated. "We can't change anything about it and we have to deal with it. But the injuries are a result of the regular load, not overload. We won't look for excuses."

The Opponent Hannover 96

The approach of Borussia Dortmund on Saturday will be evident. Being not together as a squad for 10 days, BVB will focus on its own style of play. "On Friday we will start to prepare for the match with the whole team. It's been a while since we played at home. In Mönchengladbach we were brilliant in some sections in a way, we've never been before. The loss felt terrible. We would like to get back the feeling of win on Saturday.", Klopp said. Respecting the Lower Saxonies he added: "I still observe Leonardo Bittencourt. He made a great impression while playing the Under 21. His development is as we expected it. His qualities are rising due to getting more playtime in Hannover."

Not available for Saturday will be striker Didier Ya Konan, nevertheless 96 have Sobiech and Diouf up their sleeve. "We have to be aware of Huszti and a reinvigorated Jan Schlaudraff. Lars Stindl is one of the most interesting players of the Bundesliga due to his flexibility. Leon Andreasen, my former player, is a fighting machine. I'm happy that he has overcome his injuries." In general Hannover 96 offer a huge fighting power combined with speed and mobility. Still their weakness on foreign pitches is remarkable. Last campaign 96 only gained 13 points out of 17 matches. This campaign they gained 0 points out of 3 matches so far. "I'm not sure why it's not working out. They are a team that is predestinated for quick transition. It's going to be hard work," Klopp said.

I personally believe that Jürgen Klopp is right with his prediction. Although 96 have an obvious negative balance on foreign pitches, the match should not be taken easy. The task is to become attuned to one another, since Arsenal FC and Scha*ke 03+1 are following.

Possible Line-Ups:

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller - Großkreutz, Sokratis, Subotic, Durm - Sahin (Mkhitaryan), Bender (Kirch) - Blaszczykowski (Aubameyang), Mkhitaryan, Reus (Hofmann) - Lewandowski

Substitute's Bench: Langerak, Schmelzer, Günter, Kirch, Aubameyang, Hofmann, Ducksch, Schieber.

Hannover 96: Zieler - Sakai, Marcelo, Schulz, Pocognoli - Sané, Andreasen - Stindl, Schlaudraff, Huszti - Sobiech.

Referee: Gagelmann (Bremen)

Kickoff: 19th of October 2013 - 3.30. P.M. CET.

Attendance: Westfalenstadion, 80,645 (sold out)